Rainbows’ offensive woes linger in loss to Northridge

Hawaii’s first home game in three weeks brought more of the same.

Left-hander Jerry Keel held Hawaii to five hits in his first complete game of the season and Alexis Mercado had three of Cal State Northridge’s 11 hits in a 4-1 victory over the Rainbows on Friday night at Les Murakami Stadium.

Nicolas Osuna added a two-run single for the Matadors (20-17, 6-4 Big West), who crept within two games of league-leading Cal State Fullerton, which lost to Cal Poly on Friday.

Hawaii (8-25, 3-7) lost for the eighth time in nine games and was held to one run or less for the 14th time this year in front of a crowd of 2,073.

"It’s just the same song, different day," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "We’ve got to hit. Guys battled, guys played hard and made some big pitches that stopped it from being 12-1 because with all the guys they had on base all night, we’re lucky it was only four."

Cal State Northridge put the leadoff man on base in each of the first five innings against Hawaii starter Scott Squier, who dropped to 0-6.

Squier couldn’t duplicate the form he showed in two outings on UH’s recent road trip, failing to record an out in the fifth inning of a home start for the third consecutive time.

He threw 82 pitches in four innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks, a hit batter and five strikeouts.

He allowed just two hits in nine innings on Hawaii’s recent seven-game road trip.

"That was the bad Scott. He wasn’t good," Trapasso said. "You’re playing with fire when you allow the leadoff guy on base every inning and you’re asking for trouble when you can only throw one pitch for strikes."

Neither team had an extra-base hit and the Matadors stole four bases off UH catcher Trevor Podratz, who grounded into both of UH’s double plays.

Conner George had three of UH’s five hits off Keel, who bested his previous season high of eight innings against UC Riverside.

Keel allowed an unearned run and one walk with five strikeouts and set down Hawaii’s final seven batters, beginning with Podratz’s double play in the seventh.

Pi‘ikea Kitamura drove in UH’s only run with a two-out single in the third.

Kitamura and second baseman Andre Real, who were UH’s two hottest hitters in a win over Cal Poly last Sunday to end the road trip, strung together consecutive two-out hits in the third.

Real singled and moved to second on a passed ball before Kitamura went with a two-strike pitch into the hole on the right side of the infield to score Real just ahead of the throw by right-fielder Chester Pak.

"They were giving me that hole from the first at-bat and even through that at-bat, the ball I fouled off, I was trying to work it that way," Kitamura said. "They left that changeup up and away and I got it."

The Matadors answered with four hits off Squier in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.

Austin Wobrock saved a base hit, snaring a line drive by Kyle Ferramola, but Osuna hit the next pitch to center for a two-run single to make it 2-1.

Every out recorded by Squier either came on a punch out or a ball hit in the air.

He failed to record another out after a walk and a hit batter to start the fifth.

Senior Connor Little, pitching out of the bullpen for the first time after Squier took his spot in the rotation, nearly escaped the inning without allowing a run.

After failing to get a bunt down, Pak grounded into a double play. Nate Ring, who led off with a walk, moved to third and scored as Mercado singled through the left side for his third hit to push Northridge’s lead to 3-1.

Cleanup hitter Josh Goossen-Brown pushed the Matadors lead to 4-1 with an RBI single in the seventh, scoring Ring, who singled and stole second.

Little allowed one run on five hits in five innings with no walks and six strikeouts.

Junior Matt Cooper (2-4, 2.53 ERA) will start Game 2 tonight at 6:35.